


Broken Wings

by tophat1



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Azula (Avatar) Redemption, F/F, F/M, azula redemption arc type beat ya know, basically ty lee overhears a zutara talking and freaks, implied Zutara, this is my first fic omg, tyzula - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-24
Updated: 2021-02-01
Packaged: 2021-03-17 00:35:04
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,217
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28965447
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tophat1/pseuds/tophat1
Summary: In which Ty Lee overhears a strange conversation while visiting the Fire Palace between two people she didn't expect. But what she learns, completely rocks her boat.--or beginning of an azula redemption arc with tyzula and some background zutara
Relationships: Azula/Ty Lee (Avatar), Katara/Zuko (Avatar)
Comments: 9
Kudos: 84





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first fic! I had this idea in my head as I was rewatching avatar and I just had to get it down. Let me know ur guy's thoughts!!!

Ty Lee didn’t really know how she messed up the dates so bad. She had been planning to come to the Fire Nation to visit Mai (and possibly see her family) for a while now. It had been so long since she had returned, so when she realized she accidentally came to the Fire Palace almost an entire month early she was pretty surprised with herself. She had been anticipating the trip for a while and she was almost certain she had the date right. _How strange,_ she thought to herself.

When she arrived she found that not only had she been early, but Mai wasn’t even in the palace.

“She’s visiting her family right now,” Zuko had told her after welcoming her to the palace with a hug, “It’s her parents anniversary in two weeks, but ever since the war ended she hadn’t been able to visit, so she’s spending the month there.”

“Wow, I really messed up the date bad,” Ty Lee chuckled, “I think it would be best if I just catch the next ferry back to Kyoshi Island and return in a month.”

Zuko smiled softly and placed his hands around her own, “If you would like, you can stay for the month and wait. I know it has been a long time since you returned to the Fire Nation.”

Ty Lee winced slightly at his words, but he didn’t seem to notice, “I wouldn’t want to be a burden-"

“Why don’t you sleep on it?” Zuko released her hands and gestured around him to the palace, “You know we have plenty of room here. I’ll get a room set up for you for the night at least.”

“Thank you Zuko,” Ty Lee said with a light bow for respect. The Fire Lord had changed a lot since the childhood Ty Lee had known him from. He held himself higher and was softer, almost. He had lost the shame and burdens he used to always carry on his shoulders and on his expressions. Strangely, his aura seemed slightly more calming and relaxed than Ty Lee had even expected, but she welcomed the feeling, helping distract her from the brooding anxiety the palace gave her.

Zuko had called servants to lead Ty Lee to a room to rest for the evening, and as she followed them, she let her eyes take in the palace around her, letting emotions and feelings rush in. _Azula_ , she thought to herself. 

There was no way for her to separate the Fire Nation Princess from the Royal Palace, and frankly, the Fire Nation at all. Perhaps that was the reason it had taken a full two years after the war for Ty Lee to finally return, though if you asked her, she would have just said she was busy with Kyoshi Warrior activities. She felt overwhelmed with the memories that rushed to her head. She and Mai had practically grown up with Azula, and if she looked to her right, she could see the garden where they used to play, and behind her where Mai had first told them about her crush on Prince Zuko.

Ty Lee smiled softly to herself, though the smile quickly faded as emotions rushed in like they do almost every time the Fire Nation Princess crosses her mind. 

_Regret, love, betrayal, longing._

Ty Lee kept her head down for the rest of the walk. 

When she arrived in her room, she immediately began writing a letter to Suki, letting her know about the date mishap and that she would return to Kyoshi Island as soon as possible. She figures it would be better to not bother Fire Lord Zuko for a whole month (or have to deal with the rushing of emotions she gets from just walking around the palace). When she finished, she rolled it up and used a pink ribbon from her hair to tie around it. She exited the room, letting her muscle memory take her to the room where the messenger hawks were. 

As she neared passing by the throne room, she heard the Fire Lord speaking to someone.

“You know,” he started, “It’s her birthday today.”

Ty Lee froze, chills overtaking her body. _It’s Azula’s birthday_. The former princess turned 19 today. It finally hit her as to why she messed up the dates so bad; Azula never really seemed to leave her mind even when she didn’t realize it. Ty Lee walked towards the wall next to the slightly cracked open doors to the throne room. She leaned in towards the sound of the voices, intrigued, but not wanting to show her presence.

“And how does that make you feel?” a gentle feminine voice answered to Zuko. Ty Lee’s eyes widened, she recognized the voice. She leaned around to peer through the crack, careful to not make noise. When her eyes rested on the scene, her suspicion was confirmed.

In the throne room, the table used for war deliberation was set up, but instead of talking about war, only two bodies were sitting on the floor at the table, and instead of deliberating, they seemed to be having tea. _A little unconventional_ , Ty Lee thought to herself. Sitting next to the table was the Fire Lord, his head slightly bowed, and right beside him was Katara. Shifting her eyes around the scene, Ty Lee noticed that on the table Katara seemed to be holding both of Zuko’s hands in her own, looking at him intensely. 

Ty Lee reeled back around the door, hiding from the crack, her mind slightly racing. There had always been rumors about the waterbender and the Fire Lord’s relationship. Ty Lee chose to never believe them since Mai was her friend and vehemently denied it any time the rumor was brought up and also for the simple fact that Katara was dating _the_ _Avatar_. She wouldn’t be cheating on him would she? Ty Lee leaned back around, peeping through the crack again, intrigued.

“I don’t know,” Zuko replied, “I visited her today.”

“How was she?” 

“She doesn’t speak to me still, as you know,” Zuko looked back up, making eye contact with the water bender, “I still think about that day we faced her”

“Me too,” Katara said, her hand reached up to cup Zuko’s face, her thumb brushing gently over his scar, “But we beat her.”

Ty Lee’s eyes bugged from behind the door, they weren’t going to kiss were they?!

Zuko leaned away from Katara’s hand, looking to their clasped hands, “I don’t think we would have if she hadn’t gone crazy.”

“That’s not true Z-“

“Katara,” the Fire Lord made eye contact again with the Southern Water Tribe girl, “I’m not ashamed, I know she was a more talented fighter than me, but I wasn’t alone, I had you.”

Katara’s head bowed down slightly, a small smile grazing her face, “I never really understood what made her snap in the end. With your betrayal, she was next in line to be Fire Lord, she had every reason to be looking toward the future.”

“My father was cruel, even when she was all he had I doubt he was ever good to her,” Zuko replied, “And I think Mai and Ty Lee’s betrayal made her completely lose her grounding.”

Ty Lee winced, reminded of the day her life changed forever.

“Mai’s actions always made sense to me, but Ty Lee’s always kind of confused me. Was she also in love with you Zuko?” Katara asked in a joking voice, a smile on her lips.

Ty Lee looked down at her hands, clasping them together suddenly to keep them from shaking. She hated thinking about this day.

“ _No_ , it confuses me too, and I never got the chance to ask,” Zuko replied with a small smile, though it fell quickly from his face as he continued, “But I think Ty Lee is what really rocked the boat for Azula.”

Ty Lee’s eyebrows furrowed from behind the door.

“What do you mean?” the water bender asked.

“Well, I always thought that Azula like Ty Lee a little… _more_ ,” the Fire Lord ended with a slight change to his tone.

“More as in-“ Katara started, eyes wide.

“Yeah, and I think her betrayal is what started the domino effect, and it eventually broke her.”

 _Broke her_ , Ty Lee repeated to herself heart pounding in her chest.

“Wow, who knew the heartless Fire Princess had feelings for someone like that,” Katara said softly.

 _Feelings._ Ty Lee’s heartbeat pounded in her ears. _Azula had… feelings for me?_

“Anyway,” she heard Zuko say, “How’s your family?” Ty Lee heard Katara respond, but her mind was reeling too much to understand the words. She leaned back against the wall trying to process everything she just overheard.

After all this time, did Azula actually care for her back then? She looked down at the letter in her hand, crumpling it up and shoving it in her pocket. 

She peered again into the throne room looking at Katara and Zuko.

Maybe, after all, she did have a reason to stay in the Fire Nation for a month; she had a lot to figure out. 


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank u for all the sweet words!! and sorry this took a little long, but i hope you guys like it!!

The next morning, Ty Lee had rewritten her letter for Suki. She told her how she mixed up her dates, ended up in the Fire Nation a month early, and decided to stay the extra month to visit her… family.  _ Suki doesn’t need to know everything _ , Ty Lee thought to herself. She figured Zuko would let her stay in the palace for a month, but she also didn’t want to intrude; maybe she would end up seeing her family after all. 

Ty Lee’s real reason for wanting to stay in the Fire Nation was starting to majorly stress her out. She only wanted one thing, to see Azula. But how would she even do that? Would Zuko even let her? Does Azula even want to see her? She hadn’t tried once to see or contact the Fire Princess since the day she betrayed her. There had been many temptations, but frankly, Ty Lee was too scared.

Now, things were different. She heard what Katara and Zuko said, Azula had  _ feelings _ for her. Ty Lee’s heart raced at the prospect, but her thoughts were trickled with insecurities.

_ She probably doesn’t even care about you. Stop being so full of yourself _ , Ty Lee’s mind raced. She winced at herself for reacting so much to the thought of the Fire Nation Princess. 

Though she never really wanted to admit it, Ty Lee had pretty much always had a thing for the firebender. When they were kids, it was just a simple crush. She confused it for admiration for a while, but when the Fire Princess started getting attention from some of the boys in their class, Ty Lee remembers being filled with jealousy. Despite Azula managing to scare off every potential boyfriend with either a threat or a far too early proposal to rule the Fire Nation together, that was when Ty Lee discovered her feelings for the bender were far more complicated than she could even grasp at the time. But at least then, Ty Lee felt like it couldn’t have been just her. 

Azula always used to tell Ty Lee that she was her favorite and that when she became Fire Lord, Ty Lee would be ruling by her side. Ty Lee’s little mind always brushed over the fact that Azula had always assumed she’d take power from Zuko and solely focused on how Azula practically insinuated she wanted to marry her.

And as they got older, they only got closer. Wherever Azula was, Ty Lee followed. There was nothing else that Ty Lee really wanted other than to be around the Princess. But almost suddenly, when they were entering their last year at the Royal Fire Academy and they got a little too old to be holding hands the way they did and having sleepovers the way they did, Azula suddenly distanced herself. 

So, when Ty Lee had run off to the circus it wasn’t just so she could differentiate herself from her sisters, she was also running from her feelings. 

Her feelings for the bender had become almost painful, and Azula had become far crueler after her brother was banished. The circus was a safe place for her, she had thought maybe she could finally move on, but when Azula appeared at her circus on that fateful day, she knew she would never be able to escape the firebender’s clutches.

Her feelings for Azula had reached a peak amidst their hunt for the Avatar. Though Ty Lee felt almost humiliated to admit it, even to herself. Azula wasn’t exactly… nice to her, but Ty Lee swore that in their rare moments alone Azula was  _ different _ . Fleeting touches, intense eye contact, and in some moments, Ty Lee remembers the princess to be almost gentle. Though it would all wash away as soon as they weren’t alone. But Ty Lee still couldn’t really help herself. Azula’s steadfast determination, her powerful bending, and her practically perfect face; it always enamored Ty Lee. And despite scaring her 80% of the time, something about Azula always felt  _ safe _ . No one could ever really compare to her in Ty Lee’s mind. 

Still, Ty Lee almost hated herself for how she felt for the bender. Despite how horribly Azula would treat her, she couldn’t stop her heart from racing and blood rushing to her cheeks whenever Azula would stand close.

When Azula would lean in and whisper in her ear or hold on to her arm for just a moment too long, it always seemed to make up for the cruel words and lack of emotions Azula would typically spew onto the chi-blocker. 

But to complicate things even more, sometime along their journey after the Avatar, the lines between their friendship began to blur, at least to Ty Lee. Every night, the gymnast would find herself tangled in the firebender’s arms. 

It started on a random day when Ty Lee complained about being alone and  _ cold _ in her tent; she was used to living with a lot of people all at once, both at the circus and at home, and the cold nights would leave Ty Lee wide-eyed and unable to sleep. Instead of telling her to get over it and move on as she expected, Azula offered her tent to the chi-blocker, saying that she wouldn’t be alone and Azula was naturally hot (because of her bending, of course). Ty Lee remembers blushing and seeing Mai scoff and roll her eyes.

It became a daily occurrence; every night, after their long journeys, Ty Lee would slip into Azula’s tent. They never spoke about it, ever. Yet somehow Ty Lee would always end up in the bender’s strong embrace. On those nights, with Azula’s breath gentle behind her ears and her arms tightly gripped around the gymnast’s waist, Ty Lee knew there was almost nothing that could keep her away from Azula’s side. 

_ Almost nothing.  _

So as Ty Lee walked to the dining hall to eat breakfast with Zuko, she felt like she was at a loss for words. She had no idea how to bring up seeing Azula to him. To just about everyone, her betrayal looked like a harsh ending to a toxic relationship; a boundary that wouldn’t want to be mended. So how would she even ask to see her again?

Ty Lee physically shook her head, trying to clear her thoughts. As she approached the doors, she huffed, figuring that the words would just come to her when she needs to bring it up. When she opened the door she was surprised to see Katara at the table along with the Fire Lord. Amidst her mental crisis, Ty Lee completely forgot the waterbender was in the palace too.

Katara and Zuko seemed to be in an intense conversation and as Ty Lee looked back and forth between them, she added another mental bullet point for her agenda in the Fire Nation: Get to the bottom of whatever  _ that _ is. 

“Katara!” Ty Lee proclaimed, running over to wrap her arms around the bender; it had been a long time since they’d seen each other. Despite their complicated past, they managed to form a good relationship after the war, as she, Sokka, and Aang would often visit Kyoshi island.

“Ty Lee, how are you?” Katara asked with a smile, her arms around the Kyoshi Warrior, “Zuko told me about your date mix up. How did you even mess up that bad?” she teased.

Ty Lee flushed. She really didn’t want to say.

“I must have gotten the dates mixed up when I got my ferry tickets,” she lied.

“Here, come sit,” Katara started as she lead Ty Lee to a spot next to her and Zuko at the table, “Are you going to stay for the month or head back to Kyoshi Island?”

“I was thinking I would stay for the month. I haven’t been in so long, I have a lot to catch up on,” Ty Lee turned to the Fire Lord, “Zuko if it wouldn’t be a hassle, would I be able to stay in the palace? If not I totally understa-“

“Ty Lee, of course,” Zuko interrupted, “You are always welcome to stay.”

“Thank you so much Zuko,” Ty Lee beamed. She focused her attention back on the waterbender, “Katara, what brings you to the Fire Nation?”

The waterbender immediately flushed. Ty Lee  _ definitely _ needed to get to the bottom of this.

“Oh I’m just here to…,” she hesitated, “Take care of some business. Aang needed some help with Avatar stuff.”

Ty Lee noticed how the Fire Lord looked suddenly disinterested at the mention of the airbender.

“How long are you staying?,” the chi-blocker asked with a smile, “We should definitely hang out while you’re here!”

“You should take her to some of your favorite restaurants that you used to go to when we went to the Academy,” Zuko suggested.

Ty Lee’s smile faltered slightly, remembering Azula again, but luckily, neither of the benders noticed.

“I’m not sure for now how long I’ll be here, but we should find time, Ty Lee,” Katara said. The waterbender started gathering up her things from the table, “I’ve got to head out now. Aang needs me to meet with some politician in town.”

“Bye Katara! I’ll see you later tonight,” Ty Lee excitedly waved goodbye.

Zuko bid her farewell with a curt nod.

As the door shut behind the waterbender, Ty Lee realized this was the perfect opportunity to ask about Azula. If it was just them, she would probably get more traction. 

“Zuko,” Ty Lee started hesitantly.

“Yes, Ty Lee,” Zuko replied, paying more attention to his tea than the gymnast.

“Can I ask you a question? About Azula.”

The Fire Lord tensed slightly but nodded his head.

“Where is she?” Ty Lee flushed. She felt so dumb asking this question; she should know this.

“She was moved to the cells beneath the palace,” Zuko answered, eyebrows creased, “Why?”

“Well, I… I was just, you know, wondering. I haven’t heard anything in a while so I was just thinking about, or I mean wondering where she was.”

Zuko watched the chi-blocker babble before interrupting her, “I was wondering when you would finally come to see her.”

Ty Lee’s fell silent for a moment, “What do you mean by that?”

“Well, I mean, just about everyone has seen her at least once, even Mai,” said the Fire Lord, “I was wondering what you were waiting on.”

“I was just busy,” Ty Lee replied curtly, looking away, “But I’m here now for a visit anyway so I figured better now than never.”

Instead of replying, Zuko waved over one of the guards standing at the door. He gestured to the Kyoshi Warrior, “Rohan, this is Ty Lee. She’ll be staying at the castle for a while. When she wants to visit my sister, please guide her there.”

“Yes, My Lord,” the guard said before turning to Ty Lee and bowing, “My name is Rohan, I am in charge of the grounds at the palace and at your service.”

Ty Lee smiled softly at him, “Thank you, Rohan. It’s very nice to meet you.”

Zuko dismissed the guard and focused his attention back on Ty Lee, “I’m not sure when you’ll want to see her, but Rohan should be able to take you there whenever you are ready.”

Ty Lee picked at the food sitting in of front her, her mind racing. After feeling so far for almost two years, Azula felt so close again. Her anxiety was through the roof.

“I can go with you if you want,” Zuko added, slightly concerned about the look on Ty Lee’s face.

“No, this is something I should do alone,” Ty Lee kept her eyes on her plate, “How is she?”

Zuko made a small huff before responding, “It’s hard for me to say. Azula hasn’t said a word to me in over a year.”

Ty Lee studied the crestfallen look on the Fire Lord's face before responding, “I’m sorry about that Zuko. I’m sure it’s frustrating.”

“I don’t want you to go in there with high expectations,” Zuko said with a grimace, “She might be mad, or silent.”

Ty Lee’s gaze fell onto her plate again. She wasn’t sure which was worse.

“Remember you can’t be manipulated by her anymore,” the Fire Lord continued. 

Ty Lee felt his eyes searching her face trying to make sure she was ok, but she couldn’t bring herself to make eye contact. She felt so conflicted, and in all honesty, she hadn’t even considered Azula manipulating her again. Just like she was when she was a kid, she seemed to already forget the way Azula used to treat her.

“I know. Thank you Zuko,” Ty Lee glanced at her half-eaten food, “I think I’m going to return to my room and rest for now. I need to think.”

“Are you going to see her today?” 

“I’m not sure,” the gymnast answered honestly, “But again Zuko, thank you, for the room, the food, and everything.”

“Of course,” Zuko said, nodding slightly. 

When Ty Lee returned to her room she started to pace. After all the emotions she was feeling yesterday, the thought of seeing the Fire Princess again was almost too overwhelming. Part of her was completely overtaken by fear, yet the other half of her still longed to be around the bender. It had been over  _ two years _ since Ty Lee saw her. She knows she should have come earlier, but she was here now. 

It took until late in the evening for Ty Lee to muster up the courage to see Azula. After staring at the Palace garden, illuminated by the setting sun, Ty Lee just couldn’t free her mind from the thought of her.

_ I have to just do it _ , Ty Lee thought to herself. 

She hurriedly set out to find Rohan, worried that he would be on some other side of the palace and she wouldn’t be able to find him. 

She needed to see Azula tonight. Who knew if she would still have the confidence tomorrow.

Luckily, Rohan was standing outside the throne room, and it didn’t take long for Ty Lee to find him.

He bowed at the sight of her, “Is there anything I can do for you, ma’am?”

“Please take me to Azula,” Ty Lee said quickly, almost feeling like there was no air in her lungs. 

Rohan led her through the Palace to a small room. Inside a few guards was standing around a large metal door. They bowed to Rohan and opened the door for him and the gymnast. 

Ty Lee followed him down the stairs and through the maze of the barracks underneath the palace. Ty Lee had to focus her attention on the task ahead of her to keep the memories of the place from entering her mind. After what seemed like forever, they reached a door. A single guard was standing in front of it, but he was dismissed by Rohan with a flick of his hand. 

“This is it,” Rohan said, “I can wait outside the door or I can come in with you. She will be behind bars, and there is no way for her to hurt you, but if it makes you more comfortable I can always stand in the back.”

Ty Lee’s heart was racing; she barely heard what he said. 

“No, I’m okay,” she said, staring at the door.

“I’ll be standing outside the door then,” Rohan moved out of the way, leaving Ty Lee directly in front of the door, “Take your time.”

Ty Lee’s hands were shaking as she put them on the handle of the door. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes for a moment. She had no idea how this was going to go, and she felt woefully underprepared. She pushed on the heavy door slowly bringing herself inside the cellar. Ty Lee kept her eyes on the door until it shut soundly behind her. She finally turned around, and through the bars keeping her imprisoned, her eyes finally landed on the firebender.

“Azula”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> kind of a cliff hanger sorry!! i promise for some tyzula interaction next chapter. also i promise more information on whats going on with zutara at the next chapter too!!

**Author's Note:**

> i think i might keep this as a one shot but if enough people like it i have ideas for the rest of a plot :) hope u guys liked it


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